Methods and apparatus for use in transferring user data between two different mobile communication devices using a removable memory card

• US 7,865,212 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Tysowski, Piotr Konrad
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsai; Henry W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Snyder; Steven G
• Application Number:
  US11/624,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20080171578A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 455/558
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

A mobile device is configured to maintain data synchronization with a host server over a wireless network for user data of a host application program associated with a user account. The user account is associated with user account data which includes an encryption/decryption key, and the user data is communicated over the wireless network in an encrypted format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key. For the data synchronization, the mobile device regularly causes the user data associated with the user account to be stored in memory in a decrypted format for use with the client application program of the mobile device. The mobile device further causes a copy of the user data to be stored in the removable memory card in the encrypted format, for use in securely transferring the user data to an alternate mobile device for use with a client application program of the alternate mobile device.

Claims

1. A method in a first mobile communication device for use in securely transferring user data associated with a user account from the first mobile communication device having a first client application program to a second mobile communication device having a second client application program of the same type as the first client application program, the user account being associated with user account data which includes an encryption/decryption key, the method comprising the acts of:

maintaining data synchronization with a host server over a wireless communication network for user data of a host application program associated with the user account, where the user data is communicated over the wireless communication network in an encrypted format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key;

for the data synchronization;

regularly causing the user data associated with the user account to be stored in memory of the first mobile communication device in a decrypted format for use with the first client application program; and

regularly causing a copy of the user data to be stored in memory of a removable memory card of the first mobile communication device, in an encrypted format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key, for use in securely transferring the user data to memory of the second mobile communication device for use with the second client application program.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the removable memory card to be transferred from the first mobile communication device to the second mobile communication device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

after causing the removable memory card to be transferred from the first mobile communication device to the second mobile communication device, causing the user data to be transferred from the memory of the removable memory card to memory of the second mobile communication device for use with the second client application program.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing a prompt to be produced, via a user interface of at least one of the first and the second mobile communication devices, to transfer the removable memory card from the first mobile communication device to the second mobile communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the removable memory card comprises a secure digital (SD) card.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing the copy of the user data to be further stored in the memory of the removable memory card in an encrypted, type-length format; and

causing the user data to be stored in memory of the first mobile communication device in a decrypted, binary format for use with the first client application program.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in memory of the first mobile communication device; and

refraining from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the act of maintaining data synchronization with the host server over the wireless communication network is performed via a first wireless transceiver of the first mobile communication device;

maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in memory of the first mobile communication device; and

causing the encryption/decryption key to be transmitted to the second mobile communication device via a second wireless transceiver of the first mobile communication device during a programming session.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during the data synchronization;

receiving, over the wireless communication network, the user data in the encrypted format;

converting the user data in the encrypted format into decrypted, format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key;

causing the user data in the decrypted format to be stored in the memory of the first mobile communication device for the first client application program;

causing the copy of the user data in the encrypted format to be stored in the memory of the removable memory card.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during the data synchronization;

receiving, over the wireless communication network, the user data in an encrypted, type-length format;

decrypting the user data from the encrypted, type-length format into a decrypted, type-length format;

converting the user data from the decrypted, type-length format into a binary format;

causing the user data in the binary format to be stored in the memory of the first mobile communication device for the first client application program; and

causing the copy of the user data in the encrypted, type-length format to be stored in the memory of the removable memory card.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data synchronization comprises message synchronization for electronic mail (e-mail) messages associated with the user account for an e-mail application program.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data synchronization comprises at least one of address book synchronization for address book contacts in an address book organizer and calendar appointment synchronization for calendar appointments in a calendar application program.

13. A mobile communication device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors;

the memory for storing a client application program;

an interface coupled to the one or more processors which is adapted to receive a removable memory card;

the one or more processors being operative to;

maintain data synchronization with a host server over a wireless communication network via the wireless transceiver for user data of a host application program associated with a user account, where the user account is associated with user account data which includes an encryption/decryption key and the user data is communicated over the wireless communication network in an encrypted format in accordance with the encrvption/decryption key;

for the data synchronization;

regularly cause the user data associated with the user account to be stored in the memory in a decrypted format for use with the client application program of the mobile communication device; and

regularly cause a copy of the user data to be stored in the memory of the removable memory card, in an encrypted format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key, for use in securely transferring the user data to memory of an alternate mobile communication device for use with a client application program of the alternate mobile communication device.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the removable memory card is subsequently transferred from the mobile communication device to the alternate mobile communication device for transferring the user data to the memory of the alternate mobile communication device.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein after the removable memory card is transferred from the mobile communication device to the alternate mobile communication device, the user data is transferred from the memory of the removable memory card to the memory of the alternate mobile communication device.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the removable memory card comprises a secure digital (SD) card.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

cause the copy of the user data to be further stored in the memory of the removable memory card in an encrypted, type-length format; and

cause the user data to be stored in memory of the mobile communication device in a decrypted, binary format for use with the client application program.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

maintain storage of the encryption/decryption key in memory of the mobile communication device; and

refrain from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the mobile communication device further comprises a short-range wireless transceiver and the one or more processors are further operative to:

maintain storage of an encryption/decryption key in memory of the mobile communication device;

cause the encryption/decryption key to be transmitted to the second mobile communication device via the short-range wireless transceiver during a programming session.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the mobile communication device further comprises a short-range wireless transceiver, and the one or more processors are further operative to:

maintain storage of the encryption/decryption key in memory of the mobile communication device;

refrain from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card; and

cause the encryption/decryption key to be transmitted to the second mobile communication device via the short-range wireless transceiver during a programming session.

21. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the data synchronization comprises message synchronization for electronic mail (e-mail) messages associated with the user account for an e-mail application program.

22. The mobile communication device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

during the data synchronization;

receive, via the wireless communication network, the user data in an encrypted, type-length format;

decrypt the user data from the encrypted, type-length format into a decrypted, type-length format;

convert the user data from the decrypted, type-length format into a binary format;

cause the user data in the binary format to be stored in the memory of the mobile communication device for the client application program; and

cause the copy of the user data in the encrypted, type-length format to be stored in the memory of the removable memory card.

23. A method for use in securely transferring user data associated with a user account from a first mobile communication device having a first client application program to a second mobile communication device having a second client application program of the same type as the first client application program, the user account being associated with user account data which includes an encryption/decryption key, the first mobile communication device being operative to maintain data synchronization with a host server over a wireless communication network for user data of a host application program associated with the user account, such that the user data is communicated over the wireless communication, network in an encrypted format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key, to regularly save user data in memory of the first mobile communication device in a decrypted format for use with the first client application program, and to regularly copy the user data in a removable memory card in the first mobile communication device in an encrypted format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key, the method being performed at the second mobile communication device and comprising the acts of:

receiving the removable memory card at a removable memory card interface of the second mobile communication device;

retrieving the user data in the encrypted format from the removable memory card via the removable memory card interface, decrypting the user data in accordance with the encrvption/decryption key, and storing the user data in memory of the second mobile communication device in a decrypted format for use with the second client application program; and

maintaining data synchronization with the host server over the wireless communication network for the user data associated with the user account, such that the user data is communicated over the wireless communication network in the encrypted format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

causing a message to be displayed in a user interface of the second mobile communication device for receiving the removable memory card.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the removable memory card comprises a secure digital (SD) card.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

wherein the act of maintaining data synchronization with the host server over the wireless communication network is performed via a first wireless transceiver of the second mobile communication device; and

receiving the user account data which includes the encryption/decryption key from the first mobile communication device via a second wireless transceiver of the second mobile communication device during a programming session.

27. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving and maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in memory of the second mobile communication device; and

refraining from receiving the encryption/decryption key from the memory of the removable memory card.

28. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

wherein the act of maintaining data synchronization with the host server over the wireless communication network is performed via a first wireless transceiver of the second mobile communication device;

receiving the user account data which includes the encryption/decryption key from the first mobile communication device via a second wireless transceiver of the second mobile communication device during a programming session;

refraining from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card; and

decrypting the user data in accordance with the encryption/decryption key prior to causing it to be stored in memory of the second mobile communication device.

29. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

sending a request through the wireless communication network for activating the second mobile communication device at the host server.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the data synchronization comprises message synchronization for electronic mail (e-mail) messages associated with the user account for the second client application program which is an e-mail application program.

31. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

wherein the act of retrieving the user data from the removable memory card comprises encrypted compressed serialized user data;

decrypting the encrypted compressed serialized user data;

decompressing the compressed serialized user data for producing serialized user data;

converting the serialized user data into binary user data; and

storing the binary user data in the memory for use with the second client application program.

32. A mobile communication device which is adapted to receive user data in a removable memory card from a source mobile communication device, the source mobile communication device having a client application program and being operative to maintain data synchronization with a host server over a wireless communication network for user data of a host application program associated with a user account, where the user account is associated with user account data which includes an encryption/decryption key and the user data is communicated over the wireless communication network in an encrypted format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key, to regularly store user data associated with the user account in memory of the source mobile communication device in a decrypted format for use with the client application program for the data synchronization, and to regularly copy the user data in the removable memory card in an encrypted format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key, the mobile communication device comprising:

one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors and having the client application program stored therein;

an interface coupled to the one or more processors which is adapted to receive the removable memory card;

the one or more processors being operative to;

retrieve the user data in the encrypted format from the removable memory card via the interface, decrypt the user data in accordance with the encryption/decryption key, and store the user data in the memory in a decrypted format for use with the client application program; and

maintain data synchronization with the host server over the wireless communication network via the wireless transceiver for the user data associated with the user account, where the user data is communicated over the wireless communication network in the encrypted format in accordance with the encryption/decryption key.

33. The mobile communication device of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

cause a message to be displayed in a user interface for receiving the removable memory card.

34. The mobile communication device of claim 32, wherein the removable memory card comprises a secure digital (SD) card.

35. The mobile communication device of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

maintain the data synchronization with the host server over the wireless communication network with use of the wireless transceiver comprising a first wireless transceiver; and

receive the user account data which includes the encryption/decryption key from the source mobile communication device via a second wireless transceiver during a programming session.

36. The mobile communication device of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

receive and maintain storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory; and

refrain from receiving the encryption/decryption key from the memory of the removable memory card.

37. The mobile communication device of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

receive an encryption/decryption key from the source mobile communication device via a wireless transceiver during a programming session; and

maintain storage of the encryption/decryption key in memory for use in decrypting the user data.

38. The mobile communication device of claim 32, wherein the one or more processors being further operative to:

sending a request through the wireless communication network for activating the mobile communication device at the host server.

39. The mobile communication device of claim 32, wherein the data synchronization comprises message synchronization for electronic mail (e-mail) messages associated with the user account for an e-mail application program.

40. The mobile communication device of claim 32, wherein the data synchronization comprises at least one of address book synchronization for address book contacts in the client application program comprising, an address book organizer and calendar appointment synchronization for calendar appointments in the client application program comprising a calendar application program.